FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary multiprotocol label switching virtual private network (MPLS VPN) connection 100. A plurality of customer VPNs connect to an MPLS backbone network 102 (e.g., maintained by a service provider) via respective customer edge (CE) routers 1041-104n (hereinafter collectively referred to as “CE routers 104”). Each CE router 104 is coupled to at least one switch 1061-106n (hereinafter collectively referred to as “switches 106”) in the backbone network 102. Each CE router/switch connection comprises two elements: (1) a physical connection 1081-108n from the CE router to a switch layer-2 component 1101-110n; and (2) a logical connection 1121-112n to a switch layer-3 component 1141-114n. Each switch 106 in the backbone network 102 is also physically linked to other switches 106, e.g., via links 116.
Monitoring of customer traffic (e.g., from customer VPNs) in the backbone network 102 is very complicated, and hence is typically avoided. Instead, monitoring and analysis of customer VPNs is accomplished by sending teams of technicians armed with network equipment to a customer location. These technicians gather data on-site, and then transmit the gathered data to a second team of experts for further analysis. While such methods enable service providers to provide effective analysis and troubleshooting results for their clients, they are often very expensive for the service providers due to the costs involved in sending the technicians and equipment to the customer locations. In cases where additional trips to the customer location are required for further data collection, these costs become even more daunting.
Moreover, because the collected data is not immediately analyzed, but must be sent to a second team of experts for analysis, a significant amount of time is expended in the collection and analysis of the data. Analysis and troubleshooting of customer VPNs is therefore slowed.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for centralized monitoring and analysis of virtual private networks.